New Hope
by MrsElizabethDarcy
Summary: AU - After the events of 3x11, Mark moved to L.A. and now he and Addison are living together, but there's something she had not yet shared with him. Could her suspicions be real or was it only her imagination? (one-shot)


***A/N: This fic is a follow up to Reunion, but it can be read separately. Link to Reunion: s/8748482/1/Reunion**

* * *

Was it really happening? _Could_ it be? Or was it just her imagination playing tricks on her again?

Mark had been back for almost three months and Addison had been happier than she ever thought it was possible. _They both had_. Truth being said, she'd always known they were good together and that, one day, if she could trust him again, he'd make her very happy, but it still surprised her how he had grown, how trustworthy he had proven to be. So much that she had started to wonder if perhaps they should discuss where they stood: _would Mark keep living with her? Should they buy another house? Perhaps they could even adopt a baby eventually…_ And the thought made her smile.

But then she begun to feel different, she felt somehow changed and she started to fear talking Mark into anything more serious than what they'd had for those couple of months.

During the first month he had been in L.A., she noticed some slight changes, but she supposed it was due to all the stress, the excitement, the shock and the thrill she'd been under those past few weeks. Then, the second month came and the changes became less subtle; food was hard to palate, she was always tired and she felt constantly dizzy. Now, another week had passed and she finally realized she must do something; her inanition wouldn't get her anywhere. She was a world-class surgeon with board certifications in Obstetrics and Gynecology, for God's sake! And the signs were all there, how much longer would she try to ignore them for fear of getting hurt?

* * *

"Addie?" Mark called as he entered the house and she was nowhere in sight.

It was relatively cool for an August night; Addison had been lying outside for quite some time, hours maybe, she couldn't tell. She still hadn't reacted to the news that she had avoided for so long; in fact, she still didn't know how she felt, only that she felt numb and the deck in front of her house had, in her mind, been sheltering her from the world, as if, lying in there, no one could ever hurt her.

"What are you doing here?" Mark smiled as he found her outside.

But she didn't look at him, still staring at the motion of the waves in front of her; so he sat by her side and asked again, clearly concerned, "Addison? Everything alright?"

She tried to speak, but she didn't seem to find her voice, so she sat up and gazed at him instead; smiling shyly at the handsome man in front of her. And it was because she had finally allowed herself to love him, to be with him, that she was so afraid to talk to him. He had undoubtedly changed, but would that be enough to prevent New York from happening all over again? Would he still love her in a year, two, ten? Would he get bored and go back to being his old self? How could she be sure of him or of anything? And now – now she needed to be sure. And, as she sat there, speechless, she realized that the only way she would know was if she told him.

"Mark, I – I'm pregnant," she said at once, waiting for his reaction. But as she said it, she found her answer. She didn't need to look at him or to hear him to know that _that_ was right. She had been so afraid of saying it, of it becoming real only to be taken away from her, but wasn't it what they both wanted? Hadn't he proven his worthy? And the shock combined with genuine happiness on his face only confirmed what she had already realized.

"You are pregnant?!" He smiled broadly at her, before his mien went sober again. Addison couldn't have children, he knew that. There must had been some sort of mistake, surely. But she was a doctor and that was her specialty, could she really be mistaken? He didn't want to get his hopes high though.

And, as he gazed at her, she nodded and her hands fell instinctively to her still flat stomach, gently stroking, cradling, as if she already knew the baby within her.

"A baby," he said more to himself than to Addison, "that's amazing! But how? Are you… are you sure?" he kneeled besides her and took her hand, holding it between his own.

"Yes," she smiled in between her tears, "I had a sonogram today – 11 weeks."

"But that's impossible. I – I thought…"

"Apparently," she interrupted him, "office sex is all that takes," she teased.

And he blushed as he did the math and realized that, if she really was 11 weeks along, the baby had definitely been conceived when he first took Sloan to the practice. He then got up from his knees and sat beside her, gazing at her while gently brushing a lock of hair from her face. But his expression had changed, Addison noted, he seemed almost… sad.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking his hand and playing with his fingers.

"When I came in, you didn't seem happy. Is anything wrong with you? The baby?" he asked with such genuine concern that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Everything is fine," she reassured him.

"Then what was that about? Aren't you excited?"

"I am," she laughed softly, "of course I am. It's just," her gazed fell as she felt ashamed by her earlier thoughts, "I was thinking about New York, I was afraid that you would…"

"Addison," he interrupted her and took her face in his hands, "haven't these months proven you nothing? I want you, not Lexie or anyone else. I've grown up. When will you trust me?" he asked and she could see how hurt, almost offended he was.

"I know! And I do," she hesitated, "I do trust you. And I'm sorry, okay? It's just that I never thought that _this_," she placed a hand on her stomach, "was possible and it all happened so fast, and I was just afraid of losing it all again and," she sobbed, "I'm sorry."

He looked at her with wet eyes and stroked her cheek with his thumb, "Promise me that you'll trust me from now on and that you won't let these thoughts trouble you again."

She nodded and smiled shyly at him. At that, he moved closer and kissed her passionately, exhaling almost in relief as their lips met, feeling the warmth of her body next to his, their tongues dancing together and he breathed her scent, almost intoxicating, in the air around him. It was too much to believe, after everything they'd been through, after all those years of chasing in circles, he was finally there with her, happy, as their baby lay between them. And, at that thought, they allowed the kiss to deepen as his hands moved exploring every part of her body, from her back to her waist and then to her breasts; and then his lips went from kissing her to gently sucking the spot of her neck he knew she couldn't resist and she groaned in response. Then he suddenly stopped. She looked at him, confused, and he smiled, teasing her, in response.

"Mark! What are you doing?" she laughed as he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the house.

"Taking this to a more appropriate place so we can celebrate," he grinned and kissed her again, ravenously sucking her lips before reaching the stairs. "I love you, Red."

"I love you, Dr. Sloan," she finally said before they locked themselves in her bedroom for a proper celebration.

* * *

_"Ella Montgomery Sloan," Mark smiled, "she's beautiful."_

_"She's perfect," Addison replied looking down at the read-haired baby with piercing blue eyes peacefully cradled in her arms._

**FIN**

* * *

*A/N: Soooo... what did you think? I know there was a lot of fluffyness and that it was a lot out of character, but we all needed a bit of that after PP's end, right? Also, I am SUPER bitter because everyone in that show got pregnant/had a baby but Addie, who went there with that purpose, so I thought it was only fair to write a Maddison ficlet. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please, share your thoughts! :)


End file.
